Families of children with disabilities can learn a great deal about the scope of issues involved in planning for a better quality of life and richness of experience throughout their son or daughter´s lifespan by reading "Barack Obama and Joe Biden´s Plan to Empower People with Disabilities."

Children with special needs can be especially anxious and confused about how their lives will change before the first week of school in a new grade, including how they will get to school and back, and where they will spend their days.

Most children show changes in behavior as symptoms of illness, injury or abuse before physical symptoms alert us to call in a doctor. Some children do not have the words to express their discomfort or pain, and many children believe that adults in charge are aware of everything without being told.

Sign up and stay informed about the latest articles on raising children with special needs, updates on disability advocacy, and/or disability issues in the news from the editor of the Children with Special Needs website at Bellaonline.

Bilingual families whose child with Down syndrome or other developmental disability has also learned a second or third language have demonstrated the importance of giving every child the opportunity to grow up bilingual or multilingual

In 2006, Bill Maher helped popularize using derogatory references to individuals with 'an extra chromosome'. Families of children with Down syndrome speak out about why they are concerned about the effect on their children's opportunities and safety.